BJP's Smriti Irani Targets KCR Amid Row Over PM Visit

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday saw "insult to the institution" in Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao choosing not to receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he reached Hyderabad for the BJP's national executive meeting. 

Earlier, Chief Minister KCR attacked PM Modi at a campaign event for Yashwant Sinha, the Opposition's candidate for the President's election scheduled on July 18. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) boss called PM Modi a "salesman" and said the Make-In-India claims are a lie. While he did not receive PM Modi, he welcomed Yashwant Sinha just hours before that at the airport. 

Ms Irani's counter-attack came soon after, employing the "dynastic politics" argument: "Politics can be a circus for the KCR family, for us it is the medium of national policy... Telangana is doing dynastic politics today. India will never follow this."

"The PM meets him with utmost dignity and respect," she said. 

She challenged KCR's claim that Telangana has a development model that should be followed across India. 

Earlier, as the BJP's two-day meet began on Friday, KCR's son KT Rama Rao, a minister in his cabinet, took a dig at those coming in to participate. Urging them to enjoy Hyderabadi biryani and Irani tea, he also said that PM Modi should learn from the Telangana model of development.

Hitting out at the Prime Minister yesterday, KCR asserted that he is destroying the country's federal structure. "If you bring down the TRS government, we will topple the Central government, ridding the people of the BJP rule for good," he said yesterday. 

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Modi, Mr Rao said that India's Rs 5 trillion economy goal has become a joke with rising inflation. "In China, there is less talk and more action, therefore, the outcome is its pacing economy. Here all talk, no work, so no outcome," he said.

"Make in India is a big lie. People are losing their jobs and labourers are on the road," the Chief Minister added.